As you might imagine for a team that has taken the “ALL CAPS/over my dead body” approach to an increasingly unpopular nickname, the Redskins confirmed that they will appeal today’s trademark ruling.
“We’ve seen this story before. And just like last time, today’s ruling will have no effect at all on the team’s ownership of and right to use the Redskins name and logo,” said Bob Raskopf, trademark attorney for the Redskins, in a statement issued by the team. “We are confident we will prevail once again, and that the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s divided ruling will be overturned on appeal. This case is no different than an earlier case, where the Board cancelled the Redskins’ trademark registrations, and where a federal district court disagreed and reversed the Board.”
Florio referenced that 1999 ruling earlier today, and noted the inevitable change in the social and political climate about the name.
The Redskins statement expressed nothing but the same kind of confidence owner Dan Snyder has become known for on this issue, the same kind that makes General Manager Bruce Allen say things like “We’re fine.”
They might be from a legal sense, for the moment, but the pressure on them continues to grow with every passing day.